Grass fire forces guests to evacuate

The heat from the fire melted some of the siding.Photo by Bob Guiliani

By Pat Maurer
Correspondent

A fire that damaged the exterior of the Days Inn in Clare Sunday caused a brief evacuation of three people.
A grass fire reported at 4:44 p.m. Sunday afternoon near the Days Inn, formerly the Holiday Inn, caused between $2,000 and $5,000 in damage to the north-west corner of the exterior of the building, Fire Chief Jim Chapman said.

A spokesperson for the business owners said he was told by firemen that they believed the fire was accidental. “There was only minor exterior damage,” he said. “The heat from the fire melted the siding. It didn’t reach the building.”

Chapman said the cause of the fire is “suspicious” and it is under investigation.
Clare firemen were on the scene for about an hour. They were assisted at the scene by the Department of Natural Resources.